Paths Not Considered
by Witchdoctr
Summary: Itachi loved his little brother too much to kill him on the night of the Uchiha massacre. He expected Sasuke to run away, foster his hatred, and become stronger. But what if Sasuke hadn't run away? What if he'd taken a path not considered? NOT CANON AT ALL, I warn you now, it's not pretty.
1. Chapter 1

**Don't own Naruto. It would suck if I owned it, so it's a good thing. **

Sasuke stared at his brother in horror. "You-you," he choked. He wanted to run. Horror paralyzed his legs and he felt weak and helpless and defenseless against Itachi Uchiha, the great genius prodigy he was always hearing about. Itachi, Itachi, Itachi, it was always about him. Sasuke didn't mind though, not usually. He respected his brother and loved him and he'd always known he'd never be like Itachi, so when people reminded him of this, directly or indirectly, he'd always just smiled and promise to himself that he would always work hard to catch up, and, maybe, surpass him someday. He just wanted his brother's respect, not theirs, anyway.

But now, now was different.

Itachi had killed everyone he loved. He had killed the Uchiha clan. Sasuke's first emotion was horror, grief and crushing pain. Itachi? How could he? What was going on? In his seven year old mind, Itachi was the perfect one. The perfect shinobi, the perfect ANBU, the perfect everything. The perfect murderer. The word stung. It had never affected him before, knowing Itachi killed people. He knew it was the Shinobi way. But this... was a massacre. It was different. It was a living horror, a nightmare. But he couldn't wake up from this one.

"How could you?" Sasuke choked out, starting to back up. "Foolish little brother," Itachi said coldly. What hurt the most was his apathy. He didn't seem to care that he had just killed their parents, the people who'd given them life, had raised them, had loved them. Itachi had been loved the most, and he had killed them. "You're pathetic. Not even worth killing," Itachi said. He didn't smirk or sneer. Just stared at his little brother, who was shaking on the rug. Sasuke's breath caught in his chest.

Itachi was right of course. He could never be worthy for his brother. He'd been stupid, thinking he could ever surpass Itachi, never mind ever catching up. It was a silly dream, a hope, a goal he could never attain. Because Itachi could not be beaten.

Sasuke backed up further, back pressed against the wall. ""You've always wanted to surpass me. That's why I'm going to let you live... if you wish to kill me, then hate me, despise me... and by all means flee, cling to your wretched life." Sasuke was tempted to. He wanted to run. He feared death. But... Itachi thought he was weak. Itachi wanted him to hate him, make Sasuke stronger. And Sasuke, he wanted so badly to win Itachi's respect. Itachi scorned him, thinking he was afraid of death? Sasuke would show him. Sasuke would show him that he wasn't.

Sasuke took the kunai out of his bag. He knelt and looked up at Itachi once more. "I've always wanted your respect," Sasuke said, voice shaking a little. In his heart, he wondered if he wanted to do this. Then images of the dead, the beloved whose bodies were now scattered around the village, clouded his mind and he felt such a sorrow, a gut-wrenching pain that stemmed directly from the heart and consumed all fear he had of his brother or even death. "And I love you. But, I can never hate you. Not enough, never enough to kill you." What he didn't know, was that,over time, grief is swallowed by rage, and then hatred.

Itachi watched his younger brother. He was taking out a kunai. Why wasn't he running? Itachi expected him to run, run from expected death.

But what he expected, was not what happened.

"I do not fear death!"

And his little brother, his young seven year old brother, plunged the kunai into, and then through, his wrist.

Blood gushed from his ruined flesh and in seconds he was pallid and swayed on his feet. But the pain... was a relief. He liked it, oddly enough. There was a fine line between pain and pleasure, and right now, any form of pleasure, no matter how painful, was better than the emotional hole in his chest. He raised the kunai again and added a slash onto the same arm. Again. He switched hands. Itachi was frozen. His... little... brother.

Sasuke was hurting so badly he had resorted to kill himself. He did not fear death.

No, no, no! This wasn't meant to happen. Itachi had expected him to run, not kill himself. Itachi found his cold frontier crumbling. He dropped his sword and darted forward, catching his brother as he fell. He was so small, so thin and heartbroken. Itachi held back tears for a moment, cradling the child, but then realized, who was going to see the great Itachi Uchiha cry? No one. So he let them fall, wild and untamed and free. "No, Sasuke, no, this wasn't the plan!" he yelled, watching his brother's eyes flutter, almost unconscious as the life ebbed from him.

**Review and I might make this one-shot into a full story. **


	2. Chapter 2

Darkness. Swirling darkness. He was floating. Floating free and unrestrained. Was he flying? Bright lights flashed, but somehow he wasn't seeing them; he was feeling them. Did that make sense? No, Sasuke decided. But that was the only way to describe it. Bright lights burst, but not in front of his eyes. He couldn't see anything, hear anything, feel anything, only sense those bright flashing lights. _Where am I? What's going on? What's wrong with my senses? What happened? _Sasuke couldn't see anything but black. Nothingness. Was he dead? Was this all that happened after death? Would he be here for eternity? What was his name? He'd been sure of it a second ago, but now, in this disorienting place, he doubted himself.

A very dark place. How long he was there, he didn't know. Could've been hours. Could've been centuries.

The first thing he sensed was the lights. They were gone. Just like that. Without a poof! Just gone. And then, there was the voice.

"Who's this kid?"

The voice was loud and sharp, cutting into his mind and shattering the nothingness. And his sense of pain was back. He winced as his head throbbed.

"Itachi, what are you doing? You were supposed to kill them all. Including Sasuke." Itachi? The name was... familiar. As familiar as Sasuke. Sasuke. Sasuke. It was his name. Now he remembered.

"I-I couldn't. Don't tell anyone, not yet, okay, Kisame? I'll tell them, just... not now."

"You're playing with fire, Itachi-"

"I've never been burned." Kisame. Another name. Where-?

Blurry images and moving shadows broke through the darkness. He squinted and suddenly his eyes were working again. He was in pain. His head hurt and his wrist burned, ached and itched. His stomach was empty. Now he remembered. Sasuke was his name and Itachi was... his brother's name. His brother. As long as Itachi was around, he'd always be okay-?

The memories rushed back in a flash. "Ita-It-Itachi-" Sasuke moaned. "Y-you-I- Let go of me!"

Itachi, shocked that Sasuke was finally conscious, accidently dropped him as the boy flailed. "Sasuke, calm down!" A stupid thing to say. Sasuke thought he was a mass murderer of his own clan. There was no way he'd calm down, not long enough for him to explain the truth to him. And Itachi wasn't sure if he wanted his brother to know the truth. Everything was so confusing. Nothing had gone as planne. Everything was wrecked as soon as Sasuke had plunged a kunai into his flesh. Itachi didn't know what to do. Taking Sasuke to be with him was a bad idea, he knew. But what else was he going to do? Leave his brother behind to die?

_Itachi was in shock and for a few second all he could do was stare at his baby brother as memories of their childhood flooded passed his eyes. Sasuke's birth, holding him for the first time, anger at his father for his apathy, helping him stand properly, then watching him taking his first steps. Was this it? Was he going to watch his brother's death? It wasn't right for the older brother to watch the younger die, surely? The universe must've been out of whack. _

_Then Itachi got a hold of himself. What an idiot he was, just sitting here. He had to save his brother, never mind the consequences. _

_After Itachi had stabilized him, gotten him away from the danger zone at least, he was torn. His brother could no longer run away, not in his condition. So what to do? Leave him here where he might possibly die? Or take him with him to the waiting Akatsuki where death was never far and perhaps ruin his life? There was also the matter of whether the Akatsuki would even accept Sasuke. And more pressing was fact that when Sasuke woke up, he'd be weak and the Akatsuki would never accept him. And worse, Sasuke would be furious at him. Perhaps even fear him. Oh, what on earth was he going to do? Some genius he was. _

"Don't touch me!"

**I am pleased with the reviews and the next chap will be longer.**


	3. Chapter 3

"Don't hurt him!" Itachi said, voice as close to panicked as his Akatsuki friend, Kisame, had ever heard. Hm. Kid must mean something. Kisame never ever saw Itachi Uchiha looking this panicked before. Usually it was a stone cold mask, but now...

"I don't know, Itachi, he really shouldn't be here. Perhaps I can finish the job for you?" the Akatsuki said, leering at the younger Uchiha, who was flailing on the ground, being held down firmly by Kisame's foot, the Akatsuki managing to push him down before he could run away. "It would be easier on all of us, plus it's really for your own good-" his foot began to feet extremely warm, then hot, then boiling. "Ahh, that little asshole!" Kisame cursed as the Uchiha brat blew a fire jutsu on his leg. Unfortunately for him, Kisame wasn't that easy.

"Let me go, you monster! Leave me alone! Murderers! Heathens!"

"You have some of the Uchiha fire," Kisame said. "Literally and figuratively."

"I hate you!" But the outraged scream was not aimed at the Akatsuki. It was aimed at Itachi. The young Uchiha twisted his neck and glared at his older brother with so much hatred and resentment and pain and grief, Itachi felt a part of his heart wither away. Well, what was left of his heart. He smiled faintly at the weak joke, then realized his mistake. "You-you asshole, how could you laugh-?" Sasuke choked as dirt was kicked into his mouth. "Ahh-fff-uck-ou!" "Language," Kisame said. "Little boys shouldn't have such dirty mouths unless they want their tongues removed." He raised his long sword threateningly. Sasuke quieted immediately, though thought about reconsidering, seeing Kisame's smug face.

Itachi stared down at his brother. Indecision crossed his eyes. Sasuke was exhausted, even with the spirit and will he'd just demonstrated. His breath was ragged, he looked weak and his eyes were tired, barely clinging to consciousness, though they burned slightly deliriously. And worse, blood spotted his bandaged wrist. Sasuke would have to cooperate with them if he wanted to live...

Itachi hated what he was about to do next, but it was absolutely necessary.

The last thing Sasuke saw before going unconscious again was Itachi's heartless face, his cold apathy, and finally his foot as it pulled back and swung, full force, at his face. The last thing he felt was incredible pain, but not from the face, though it stung and burned like fury, but that horrible, sickening feeling of betrayal, right to the core of his young heart was enough. He faded to unconsciousness willinglyl, embracing it even, wishing the reality wasn't true, wishing that it too would fade away.

**Eh, sorry, I said it would be longer. Sorry. Will try harder next time. **


	4. Chapter 4

When he woke up again, his surroundings were slightly more welcoming. He was in a room. That was his first coherent thought. And he was in a bed. But it was so dark he couldn't make out any other details. His head was hurting. Badly. And his nose was bandaged. Why? Sasuke touched it tentatively, groping around the darkness, trying to find it and, for a brief moment, worried it wasn't there. Then he dismissed the foolish thought and managed to touch it. Pain flared up briefly. Broken nose. Damn when had that-? "ITACHI!" Screaming that loudly was a bad idea. He clutched at his temple, fingers leaving his nose. Why was he hurting this much? He shouldn't be. He sat up, flinching as pain flared again. But from where?

His nose for sure, his head was aching, his ribs were hurting, his stomach everything seemed to hurt. Especially his heart.

**In case of confusion, I will now switch POV's to the evil/good guy, and everyone's fav Uchiha (so I'm told), Itachi. **

"You idiot, some genius you are. You know how upset the Council of the Leaf will be-" Kisame continued ranting, but Itachi wasn't really listening. His thoughts were entirely on Sasuke.

Sasuke had been unconscious for hours when Itachi had pulled him out of the village. Unfortunately, he'd lost a lot of blood, and Itachi had had to bandage him up well away from the village as investigators had arrived. So he'd been away from medical supplies and could only use his own limited resources. Thankfully he hadn't had to wait too long before Kisame had showed up. Kisame, at first, hadn't asked questions, for which the Uchiha was extremely grateful. Too bad it hadn't lasted long. As soon as they were a safe distance away and walking, Kisame had verbally attacked him. Then Sasuke had woken up, making the situation worse as he violently struggled, probably hurting himself in the process. Itachi wondered if Kisame had hurt him when he'd stomped, firmly but not with full strength (he would've been dead if Kisame had) down on Sasuke's chest to keep him down. Man, he'd never expected Sasuke to be that fierce...

His brother had surprised him. Was the act suicide or bravery? Was he wrong to keep his little brother here, in the darkness that he'd wrapped himself in? Sasuke was never meant to be with him. Never. What had he been thinking? He knew he'd made a mistake, bringing his brother. It was so out of character, to make such a stupid mistake. But, Itachi admitted, Sasuke did that to him. Made him think like a brother, a big brother around his young, pesky lil' bro, rather than a ninja genius. A smile crept on his face.

"What are you smiling about?"

"Oh can it, Kisame, the Council can't do shit about Sasuke now. What are they going to do, tell everyone that I failed my mission by leaving one Uchiha besides myself alive? Everyone thinks I'm a traitorous rogue ninja already. I doubt anyone will care that he's alive besides the Council and what can they do?" even as he spoke, Itachi began to have his doubts. And Kisame said them out loud. "And what are you going to do with him?"

"That is a problem."

**Sasuke's POV**

Deep in his young bones, Sasuke knew he was afraid. To die by his own hand in a moment of absolute panic and stubborn idiocy was one thing, but to die by the blade of the man who had been his brother or worse, that big strong blue guy, terrified him. Death terrified him. He was scared of it, and for a moment, he'd managed to overcome his fear. But alas, he hadn't truly overcome it. He'd expected to be dead anyway and the emotional pain had clouded his seven year old judgement. He wasn't ready to die, not now like a rat in a dungeon, he thought, tears welling up and spilling over, staining his cheeks silver, though he couldn't see them.

Was it just him or were the walls closing in? Was he claustrophobic? Deep breaths, deep breaths. No, he was fine. He must be brave. He was an Uchiha, an elite ninja by blood. Fear was stupid, he thought. Fear of what? Darkness? What had he turned into a baby again? He didn't fear death. No, he didn't, he told himself. Not at all. He'd tried to kill himself. In fear, he admitted. Not out of bravery. Out of grief. It wasn't bravery. It was cowardice, trying to kill oneself to escape the crushing grief he'd used to consume his fear. But then again, he had shown Itachi! That was something, to him, and he focused on that. Trying to block out the horrible fear and the crushing grief that was somehow worse.

He was so confused, so mixed up inside. No child should have to be so confused. He didn't understand himself or his feelings and right now he was in turmoil and in no mood to control his feelings. Sobs burst from his throat, a keening sort of cry that comes directly from the heart, from the soul, from the gut, from the very essence. Sobs of fear, sobs of sorrow, sobs of pain. He just needed to get them out. They hurt, these heart sobs, and he felt the need to release them.

And right then, he wanted his big brother. And then he felt ashamed.

Here he was, crying his heart out and wanting his brother when it was his brother's fault in the first place. Yes, his father wouldn't want him to cry; crying was weakness, a blatant sign of lack of control. Anger, on the other hand, was perfectly acceptable. No more crying. Sasuke wouldn't cry anymore. It was stupid to cry. After all, he was an Uchiha. He shouldn't be so weak. It was stupid, and he didn't want Itachi to look down on him again. Because, believe it or not, he still wanted his brother's respect.

**Too complex for a 7 year old? I kinda thought so. So, thanks to the lovely reviews and the reviewers themselves, I thank you all, particularly-**

**Nocturnal Only: Great suggestions. I will keep that in mind and thank you for not only reviewing, but giving me great writing tips. **

**See ya'll later. **

**And all these reviews make me greedy. More reviews keep 'em coming! :)**

**Okay I have decided. **

**One review: work on the next chapter. **

**Five reviews: Work furiously and update ASAP. **

**A PM: guarentees two more chapters. **

**Two PM's: Will finish the story. **

**There are my terms. Chow. **


	5. Chapter 5

"Sasuke?"

Itachi peered into the room furtively. Sasuke was on his bed, facing the wall. Itachi put the candle in his hand on the ground and edged into the room, shutting the door quietly. Not quietly enough.

"Ow, what the hell?" he rubbed his head and glared at the object at his feet. Oh. It was an apple. Probably the apple he'd slipped in earlier. His brother hadn't eaten it. Was he being stubborn or was he not hungry or something? "Itachi, release me," Sasuke shouted, trying to sound assertive and demanding. Unfortunately, to Itachi, he sounded, well, like a seven year old who wasn't getting what he wanted. Perhaps Sasuke would always sound like this to him. "I want to, but you'll probably try to kill me," Itachi said. "Yeah? Isn't that what you wanted? That's what you said earlier," Sasuke grumbled.

"I didn't think you were going to stab yourself. You could've cut off your own hand, you know," Itachi said, edging closer. Sasuke's eyes widened and he glanced at his wrist, as if to make sure it was still there. "What do you care? You'd probably be glad." Itachi winced. "Eh, this isn't going as planned..." "You mean you planned to massacre our whole Clan? To destroy everything I ever loved? Yeah, I said I, cause it's obvious you don't!" Sasuke shouted.

Itachi wanted to sigh. Sometimes Sasuke sounded so immature. Itachi knew what he meant though and he knew how his younger brother must be feeling, so it wasn't soo childish after all. "I-" what had he come in here to say? Maybe he was sorry? Maybe to explain why he'd done it? Or maybe he should just do as planned. Tell his little brother that he'd killled the Uchiha Clan to test himself, then knock him out and drop him off at the village. He was feeling better now, right? And besides, when Kisame had left, he had threatened to slice off his legs if he didn't see him at the Akatsuki hideout at the meeting. Sasuke was holding him back and if he didn't go the Akatsuki meeting, they would come looking for him, and then both he and his brother might as well be dead...

Things were getting tricky.

"Sasuke, I-"

"Stop talking! I don't wanna hear it!"

"I think you do."

"No I don't!"

"Yes, you do. If you don't stop talking, then I will have to tape your mouth shut. Now listen up, I've got something to tell you-"

**I know this is really short. Sorry. I just need to ask: I have two different ideas for this story, and I'm not sure which one to pick. Please review and tell me which one seems better: **

**Itachi tells the truth**

**Itachi lies**

**Not too many spoilers right? Anyway, the Itachi lying part will lead to a sequel, and the Itachi telling the truth will not, so it's kinda up to you. **

**If there's only one review, then I'll write whichever one that one reviewer picked. **

**Kudos. Hope I have a reason to update soon. **


	6. Chapter 6

Truth:

Itachi told him. Told him about the Uchiha's rebellion and plots to overthrow the village. Explained his strange behavior as of late, and who exactly had killed Shisui and why. He told his wide-eyed little brother that if the Uchiha had rebelled, it would lead to another Ninja War. He explained that he was ordered to massacre the entire clan, become a traitor of Konoha, whose council had ordered him to do it in the first place.

Sasuke was silent when he finished.

In his mind, he couldn't believe. Didn't want to believe it. Or maybe he did?

If Itachi was telling the truth, then...

The Uchiha Clan were a bunch of traitors.

If he was lying, then...

Itachi was a heartless, lying bastard.

Which one appealed to him more?

But at that moment, he realized. He couldn't decide which version he _wanted _to believe. One or the other had to be the truth.

But he couldn't stay shocked and clear-minded for long. Frustration and anger made his fist clench and his teeth grit until he managed to speak.

"Why? So our clan was planning a rebellion. You didn't have to kill all of us. You didn't have to do it yourself. You didn't have to do it all all! Don't tell me it was for the good of Konoha, because I couldn't care less about the village. I care that you murdered the entire Uchiha Clan because you were ordered to. Don't tell me you couldn't have refused? And even if you couldn't have, then you could've let them live anyway. They were your family. They were our family, Itachi!"

Sasuke paused again. He was crying, he realized dimly. Again. Damnit.

"The Third Hokage was against it," Itachi said. "He was against it. But I... I knew that Konoha could not be thrown into another Ninja War. I couldn't let it happen. I've seen a Shinobi War. I know the horror. I couldn't let it happen. The Konoha Council and Danzo ordered me to, and-" Itachi paused, wondering if he should mention Madara Uchiha's role in the massacre of the Uchiha clan, but instinct warned him to keep it to himself. He would deal with Madara himself. Sasuke didn't have to know about him.

One traitor was enough.

"So you killed them because you were ordered to. But also because you wanted to."

Itachi looked up at Sasuke. He didn't seem to understand. But he was only seven. He only saw the brother who'd massacred his entire clan.

"I didn't want to, I had to-"

Smack!

**Okay, so I'm going to have two versions: Truth and Lie. I will inform you when the Truth version is over and you can stop reading from there or read the Lie version instead. **

**Kudos to HeartsNaruto for giving me the idea and the motivation to continue. **

**Later. **


	7. Chapter 7

Itachi saw Sasuke's punch coming, but he didn't move to avoid. He fought the desire to laugh as his brother was too short to hit anywhere higher than his gut, but he also fought the desire to gasp. It kind of hurt. Sasuke could hit hard for a little bugger like him. Itachi fought these two bizarre desires and looked down at his younger brother, the little midget he was so fond of. "You liar! You liar, you liar, you liar!"

But Sasuke didn't really believe what he was screaming. He pounded his brother where he could reach with small fists, but his brother just let him, let him take his feelings out on him. Because honestly, he had no idea what to feel, what to think. The past day or two had been so... crazy. He wanted to kill his brother. His brother, the traitor, the murderer, the cause of genocide, willingly. There was no excuse. He was a traitor.

But then, he was also... Itachi Uchiha, his champion, his big brother.

He had a reason. Not a shitty reason, like "testing" his skills. A reason that might or might not be... no what was he thinking? Killing every person in the clan, following orders? But he wasn't just following orders, Sasuke thought. He stopped punching Itachi. His big brother had done what he thought was right. Deep in his mind, he knew there was some redemption in Itachi's excuse, but the rest of his mind wanted to release some of his pent-up feelings.

Surprisingly, the anger was fading. He tried to grasp at it. No. No. He was not going to let his brother get away with it. His big brother always got away with everything! Everyone had loved him and everyone had worshipped him, even Sasuke. Not this time! He couldnt get away with this!

But these irrational, angry thoughts couldn't spark anything. His anger was spent.

All he could feel was despair. Confusion. What exactly was he feeling? He couldn't... think clearly.

So he did something that felt right, natural.

Instead of pounding away at his big brother, he hugged him instead. And something about the warmth of his aniki's arms around him, returning the hug, did more for his anger than hitting ever could.

**I know it's short. But this story wasn't even meant to be a story; it was supposed to be a one-shot, so it seems fitting to have it in small parts. Plus, I update quickly. So it makes up for it, I hope. **


	8. Chapter 8

Sasuke sniffled into his brother's shirt and clung to him. Itachi hugged him just as fiercely and tenderly. He'd never thought Sasuke would ever hug him again. Ever. He'd thought, when he'd been planning everything in his head, that Sasuke would become an Avenger and that he would always be seen as the enemy. That he would die by his brother's hand. But now, he was being hugged by those same hands.

And now he was mixed up inside.

Conflict. He should have never told Sasuke the truth. He had to join the Akatsuki and there was no going back. Sasuke would ruin the plan. But the plan was all shaken to the core, just by him knowing the truth. How could Sasuke kill him now, if he knew the truth? It was wrong. He shouldn't have told him. What was he thinking? Everyone had always called him a genius, but now, what on earth would they call him now, besides traitor? A fool. That's what he was. Everything was shot now.

"Sasuke?"

"What?"

"I love you."

"I forgive you." Those last three words made Itachi's heart break and it shook his resolve. His little brother could forgive him for all he'd done. He wouldn't forget, but he could forgive. Amazing. Itachi had always been able to control his emotions, but now he couldn't. Tears slipped from his eyes, from tear ducts he hadn't know still existed, and he gritted his teeth. "Sasuke-" he said. "I'm sorry."

He meant to say sorry for what he was about to do, but it came out as an apology for everything. Everything he'd done to hurt his otouto. He was sorry. Sorry was just a word. What he was feeling right now was indescribable.

His Mangekyo Sharingan began to spin.

He felt a brief flicker of guilt as he used a technique Shisui had always used, remembering his friend who he'd killed, but it was only brief. It was nothing compared to everything else he was feeling.

He erased Sasuke's memories.

"Sorry," he repeated again, putting Sasuke in a Genjutsu.

As was planned beforehand, but hadn't been done.

Now everything was right. Now Itachi could put everything back into the plan, his carefully contructed plan. Everything was fine now. Sasuke would only remember seeing his brother over their parents' corpses and stabbing his arm. When he woke up in the hospital, where Itachi would put him, he would think the nurses had bandaged him.

But even with a plan in mind, he still felt shaky inside and his heart was throbbing.

And if this wasn't enough, he was _wrong. _

Sasuke did wake up in the hospital and he did remember stabbing himself and Itachi over their parents' bodies. He didn't remember any of the events of the passed few days. He couldn't remember, even when the Third Hokage himself came to ask him. He couldn't remember, even as he strained his mind in the middle fo the night, trying to grasp at a memory that he knew was there, but eluded him. It occurred to him that Itachi might've put a Genjutsu on him to make him forget.

But why did he have, under the strong feelings of hatred and pain, a spark of disbelief? Why did he feel that something was wrong, that there was something he didn't know? His memories might've been blocked, but his emotions lingered. Itachi wasn't bad, his mind remembered. That was the only sliver of memory he had. It was irrational and there was no evidence to support this, but Sasuke knew it was true. Wasn't it? Or was he just grasping at the hope? Wasn't it true? Why did he feel it was true? His brain said no, but his mind said yes.

**I know I said this chapter would be long, since I don't have long chapters, but I can't really conclude it any other way. Review, I guess. That's the end of the Truth. The Lie is up next. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Lies: **

"You're pathetic." Sasuke's eyes widened and the anger seemed to fade away. He just stared at Itachi limply. His brother continued, inwardly telling himself that this might not be the right thing to do, but the best thing to do. He was going to have to be really mean. Sasuke would have to hate him. "How pathetic. You're weak. Trying to kill yourself, how shameful a child from the mighty Uchiha can be. You don't even deserve to wear the symbol on your back."

"You don't have the guts to fight me, so you try and kill yourself. It doesn't take a genius to know how stupid you are. And you know why I saved you?" Sasuke's face was horrified and his fists were clenched, but not in rage this time, Itachi noted. He was upset, but not angry anymore. Was that good or bad? "Because I couldn't live with the shame of having my brother, an Uchiha, kill himself in desperation at the last minute. When the rest of the clan was dying bravely in battle, you die by your own hand."

"Why aren't you killing me now?" Sasuke yelled. "They probably think I'm a traitor now. Why don't you just kill me?"

"Oh now you're being brave," Itachi sneered. "You were willing to die by your hand, but what about at mine?" Terror colored his face and he looked like any minute he'd puke.

"But I won't. Maybe if I let you live, then you'll grow up and maybe you'll be stronger. Maybe you'll be as strong as me. Maybe you'll be a true shinobi. At least make sure you don't run away next time."

Those were the last words Sasuke would hear from Itachi for a while. In half a second Itachi was moving, and in the last half of the second, he was unconscious, a fist to his face, knocking him back on the cold floor and into the darkness. What he didn't know was that while he was unconscious, Itachi patted his hair gently. What he didn't know was the tears shed or the soft spoken words, "I'll see you later, little bro." He didn't feel his big brother's arms around him, holding him close, close enough to hear his heartbeat, or even know that Itachi left him near a hospital.

He just knew that when he woke up, the pain was there.

**I know I know, really short, but I can't think of much to do with "Lies," not as much as for Truth. So sorry this ended shortly and abruptly. **


End file.
